Leonard Hussey
Encyclopedia
Leonard Duncan Albert Hussey OBE (6 June, 1891 - 25 February, 1964) was an English
meteorologist, archeologist, explorer and member of Ernest Shackleton
's Imperial Trans-Antarctic
and Shackleton–Rowett Expeditions. During the latter, he was with Shackleton at his death, and transported the body part-way back to England.
Hussey was also a member of the armed forces
during World War I
, serving in France
and with Shackleton in Russia
. After returning to private practice, Hussey rejoined the war effort in 1940 and became a decorated medical officer with the Royal Air Force
during the Second World War. Returning once again to civilian practice in 1946, he was a member of the Royal College of Physicians
, a lecturer, author
, and Boy Scouts
leader prior to retirement. Many of the items he collected during his career were donated to a number of museums.
Aitken) in Norman House, Norman Road in Leytonestone, in London. He was the sixth child of the family, and the only son to his father, a machine ruler at the local stationery printing factory. By 1900, the family resided at 342 Kingsland Road in Leytonestone with three further children, leaving Hussey one of nine children; the eldest of four wolverines- the others being James, William and Percy - alongside five daughters, Maude, Beatrice, May, Blance and Daisy.
Hussey attended the Strand School
and Hackney P.T. Centre. On October 6, 1909, Hussey entered the University of London
, taking as course in psychology
and gaining a bachelor of science
second class at King's College London
, as well as degrees in meteorology and anthropology
.
From 1913, Hussey had undertaken employment as an anthropologist and archeologist at a dig in Jebel Moya, Sudan
as part of Henry Wellcome
's Expedition. Alongside O. G. S. Crawford
, Hussey worked on a monthly pay of £8. While in the Sudan, he read of Shackleton's intention to embark on an Antarctic Expedition in "an old newspaper" that he found, and wrote to him expressing his interest in joining the project. Shackleton met with Hussey, and agreed to select him for the expedition, later telling him that he did so because he "looked funny".
, in company with Dr. James McIlroy's imitations of the trombone
and bagpipes. Frank Worsley
stated "Hussey was a brilliant wit, and his keen repartee was one of the few joys left to us. Often we would combine to provoke him just for the pleasure of hearing his clever retorts and invariably he would emerge the victor, no matter how many of us tried to best him." On June 22, 1915, Hussey and the crew staged a four-hour "smoking concert" and costume party, during which Hussey dressed as a black minstrel
. Roland Huntford recorded in Shackleton of Hussey's tendency to be "determinedly cheery to the point of egregiousness".
The instrument, weighing twelve pounds, was rescued from the wreck of the Endurance
as "vital mental medicine" by Shackleton, who made an exception of his "2 lb per person" instructions so that it could be saved. On April 24, 1916, while Shackleton took five other men from camp on South Georgia on the James Caird to find help, Hussey was one of the 22 men left behind on Elephant Island to await rescue, and continued to use his banjo to improve morale.
in the cadets on 13 November 1912. Hussey progressed to the full armed forces in the later years of the First World War, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Royal Garrison Artillery
on January 17, 1917, serving in France, as well as operating with Shackleton on operations at Murmansk
in northern Russia as part of the Polar Bear Expedition
. By the end of the conflict, Hussey had reached the rank of Captain.
in 1921-1922.
Hussey was asked by Frank Wild
, following Shackleton's death in harbour in South Georgia, to escort the body to England while Wild himself assumed command of the Quest. Hussey arrived in South America
and cabled England with news of the explorer's passing. Shackleton's widow responded that the explorer should be buried at Grytviken
, and Hussey carried out these instructions.
as First Senior Medical Officer in the rank of squadron leader
, and then at RAF Benson
in Oxfordshire. He was Mentioned in Despatches on two occasions in 1945, on January 1 and May 14. He remained connected to the RAF for a time after the end of the war, serving in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
as a squadron leader, under the serial number 87314.
up until 1957. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1946 New Year Honours
for his war service, and in 1949 he served on the SS Clan Macauley as a ship's surgeon, sailing from England to South Africa
and Australia
. He also published his account of the Trans-Antarctic expedition entitled South with Endurance. By 1957, having retired from his practice, Hussey became President of the Antarctic Club. A Shackleton-Hussey trophy was created and awarded by Hussey to several scount movements from the 1960s, including the Chorleywood Scout pack, of which Hussey was the at one time the President of as part of his growing involvement in the scout movement following his retirement.
, and was forced to curtail his lecturing career due to poor health. His notes and lantern slides were donated to Ralph Gullett, a local scout leader and friend, who took over his lecturing. His banjo, which he took along with him on expeditions and later had on display at his practice, was signed by all the members of Endurance, and donated to the National Maritime Museum
and was valued in 2004 at over £150,000. Hussey died in London in 1964 at the age of 72, and was survived by his wife, who died in 1980. The couple had no children, and his estate was passed to his housekeeper, Margaret Mock, until her own death in 1999.
He was also the recipient of a number of decorations for his work in both world wars and as a member of Shackleton's expeditions.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
meteorologist, archeologist, explorer and member of Ernest Shackleton
Ernest Shackleton
Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton, CVO, OBE was a notable explorer from County Kildare, Ireland, who was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration...
's Imperial Trans-Antarctic
Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition
The Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition , also known as the Endurance Expedition, is considered the last major expedition of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Conceived by Sir Ernest Shackleton, the expedition was an attempt to make the first land crossing of the Antarctic continent...
and Shackleton–Rowett Expeditions. During the latter, he was with Shackleton at his death, and transported the body part-way back to England.
Hussey was also a member of the armed forces
British Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, serving in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and with Shackleton in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. After returning to private practice, Hussey rejoined the war effort in 1940 and became a decorated medical officer with the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
during the Second World War. Returning once again to civilian practice in 1946, he was a member of the Royal College of Physicians
Royal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians of London was founded in 1518 as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518 - the first medical institution in England to receive a royal charter...
, a lecturer, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, and Boy Scouts
The Scout Association
The Scout Association is the World Organization of the Scout Movement recognised Scouting association in the United Kingdom. Scouting began in 1907 through the efforts of Robert Baden-Powell. The Scout Association was formed under its previous name, The Boy Scout Association, in 1910 by the grant...
leader prior to retirement. Many of the items he collected during his career were donated to a number of museums.
Early life
Hussey was born to James and Eliza Hussey (néeNEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Aitken) in Norman House, Norman Road in Leytonestone, in London. He was the sixth child of the family, and the only son to his father, a machine ruler at the local stationery printing factory. By 1900, the family resided at 342 Kingsland Road in Leytonestone with three further children, leaving Hussey one of nine children; the eldest of four wolverines- the others being James, William and Percy - alongside five daughters, Maude, Beatrice, May, Blance and Daisy.
Hussey attended the Strand School
Strand School
Strand School was a boys' grammar school in the Tulse Hill area of South London. It moved there in 1913 from its original location in the Strand...
and Hackney P.T. Centre. On October 6, 1909, Hussey entered the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, taking as course in psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
and gaining a bachelor of science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
second class at King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
, as well as degrees in meteorology and anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
.
Sudan and Shackleton
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
as part of Henry Wellcome
Henry Wellcome
Sir Henry Solomon Wellcome FRS was an American-British pharmaceutical entrepreneur. He founded the pharmaceutical company Burroughs Wellcome & Company with his colleague Silas Burroughs, which is one of the four large companies that merged to form GlaxoSmithKline...
's Expedition. Alongside O. G. S. Crawford
O. G. S. Crawford
Osbert Guy Stanhope Crawford was an English archaeologist and a pioneer in the use of aerial photographs for deepening archaeological understanding of the landscape.-Early life:...
, Hussey worked on a monthly pay of £8. While in the Sudan, he read of Shackleton's intention to embark on an Antarctic Expedition in "an old newspaper" that he found, and wrote to him expressing his interest in joining the project. Shackleton met with Hussey, and agreed to select him for the expedition, later telling him that he did so because he "looked funny".
Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition 1914–17
Hussey joined the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914–1917's Weddell Sea party as a meteorologist, keeping a leather-bound diary of the entire expedition. He was a popular member of the group due to his humour and perpetual playing of his five-string banjoBanjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, in company with Dr. James McIlroy's imitations of the trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
and bagpipes. Frank Worsley
Frank Worsley
Frank Arthur Worsley DSO and Bar, OBE, RD was a New Zealand sailor and explorer.After serving in the Pacific, and especially in the New Zealand Post Office's South Pacific service he joined Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of...
stated "Hussey was a brilliant wit, and his keen repartee was one of the few joys left to us. Often we would combine to provoke him just for the pleasure of hearing his clever retorts and invariably he would emerge the victor, no matter how many of us tried to best him." On June 22, 1915, Hussey and the crew staged a four-hour "smoking concert" and costume party, during which Hussey dressed as a black minstrel
Minstrel
A minstrel was a medieval European bard who performed songs whose lyrics told stories of distant places or of existing or imaginary historical events. Although minstrels created their own tales, often they would memorize and embellish the works of others. Frequently they were retained by royalty...
. Roland Huntford recorded in Shackleton of Hussey's tendency to be "determinedly cheery to the point of egregiousness".
The instrument, weighing twelve pounds, was rescued from the wreck of the Endurance
Endurance (1912 ship)
The Endurance was the three-masted barquentine in which Sir Ernest Shackleton sailed for the Antarctic on the 1914 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition...
as "vital mental medicine" by Shackleton, who made an exception of his "2 lb per person" instructions so that it could be saved. On April 24, 1916, while Shackleton took five other men from camp on South Georgia on the James Caird to find help, Hussey was one of the 22 men left behind on Elephant Island to await rescue, and continued to use his banjo to improve morale.
World War I
Hussey initially joined the London University contingent of the Officers' Training Corps, and was commissioned as a second lieutenantSecond Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in the cadets on 13 November 1912. Hussey progressed to the full armed forces in the later years of the First World War, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Royal Garrison Artillery
Royal Garrison Artillery
The Royal Garrison Artillery was an arm of the Royal Artillery that was originally tasked with manning the guns of the British Empire's forts and fortresses, including coastal artillery batteries, the heavy gun batteries attached to each infantry division, and the guns of the siege...
on January 17, 1917, serving in France, as well as operating with Shackleton on operations at Murmansk
Murmansk
Murmansk is a city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It serves as a seaport and is located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland...
in northern Russia as part of the Polar Bear Expedition
Polar Bear Expedition
The Polar Bear Expedition was a contingent of about 5,000 U.S...
. By the end of the conflict, Hussey had reached the rank of Captain.
Shackleton–Rowett Antarctic Expedition 1921-22
Following the end of World War I, Hussey qualified in medicine and returned to Shackleton for his expedition to Antarctica aboard the QuestQuest (ship)
The Quest, a low-powered, schooner-rigged steamship that sailed from 1917 until sinking in 1962, is best known as the polar exploration vessel of the Shackleton-Rowett Expedition of 1921-1922. It was aboard this vessel that Sir Ernest Shackleton died on 5 January 1922 while the vessel was in...
in 1921-1922.
Hussey was asked by Frank Wild
Frank Wild
Commander John Robert Francis Wild CBE, RNVR, FRGS , known as Frank Wild, was an explorer...
, following Shackleton's death in harbour in South Georgia, to escort the body to England while Wild himself assumed command of the Quest. Hussey arrived in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and cabled England with news of the explorer's passing. Shackleton's widow responded that the explorer should be buried at Grytviken
Grytviken
Grytviken is the principal settlement in the British territory of South Georgia in the South Atlantic. It was so named in 1902 by the Swedish surveyor Johan Gunnar Andersson who found old English try pots used to render seal oil at the site. It is the best harbour on the island, consisting of a...
, and Hussey carried out these instructions.
Medical career in London
Following his return to England, Hussey practised medicine in London until 1940. He had become a member of the Royal College of Surgeons and a Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians, while residing at 328 Clalham Road, in London.World War II
Hussey joined the RAF as a medical officer during the Second World War. He served in IcelandIceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
as First Senior Medical Officer in the rank of squadron leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
, and then at RAF Benson
RAF Benson
RAF Benson is a Royal Air Force station near Benson in South Oxfordshire, England. It is home to the Royal Air Force's support helicopters, the Aérospatiale Puma and the EH-101 Merlin, known as the Puma HC.Mk 1 and the Merlin HC.Mk 3 and Mk 3a....
in Oxfordshire. He was Mentioned in Despatches on two occasions in 1945, on January 1 and May 14. He remained connected to the RAF for a time after the end of the war, serving in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve consists of a number of groupings of individual military reservists for the management and operation of the Royal Air Force's Air Training Corps and CCF Air Cadet formations, Volunteer Gliding Squadrons , Air Experience Flights, and also to form the...
as a squadron leader, under the serial number 87314.
Later career
Following the end of the war, Hussey resumed his medical practice, operating as a GP in HertfordshireHertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
up until 1957. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1946 New Year Honours
New Year Honours
The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the New Year annually in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen Elizabeth II...
for his war service, and in 1949 he served on the SS Clan Macauley as a ship's surgeon, sailing from England to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. He also published his account of the Trans-Antarctic expedition entitled South with Endurance. By 1957, having retired from his practice, Hussey became President of the Antarctic Club. A Shackleton-Hussey trophy was created and awarded by Hussey to several scount movements from the 1960s, including the Chorleywood Scout pack, of which Hussey was the at one time the President of as part of his growing involvement in the scout movement following his retirement.
Death
In 1960, Hussey retired to WorthingWorthing
Worthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...
, and was forced to curtail his lecturing career due to poor health. His notes and lantern slides were donated to Ralph Gullett, a local scout leader and friend, who took over his lecturing. His banjo, which he took along with him on expeditions and later had on display at his practice, was signed by all the members of Endurance, and donated to the National Maritime Museum
National Maritime Museum
The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England is the leading maritime museum of the United Kingdom and may be the largest museum of its kind in the world. The historic buildings forming part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site, it also incorporates the Royal Observatory, Greenwich,...
and was valued in 2004 at over £150,000. Hussey died in London in 1964 at the age of 72, and was survived by his wife, who died in 1980. The couple had no children, and his estate was passed to his housekeeper, Margaret Mock, until her own death in 1999.
Published works and decorations
Hussey published a number of works throughout his life, including editing the records of both of Shackleton's expeditions, and a number of articles in partnership with other expedition members.- South with Endurance - Hussey's account of the 1914-1916 expedition.
- Scurvy in Polar Regions - in The LancetThe LancetThe Lancet is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal. It is one of the world's best known, oldest, and most respected general medical journals...
He was also the recipient of a number of decorations for his work in both world wars and as a member of Shackleton's expeditions.
- A Military OBE
- British War MedalBritish War MedalThe British War Medal was a campaign medal of the British Empire, for service in World War I.The medal was approved in 1919, for issue to officers and men of British and Imperial forces who had rendered service between 5 August 1914 and 11 November 1918...
- Mercantile Marine War MedalMercantile Marine War MedalThe Mercantile Marine War Medal was awarded by the Board of Trade of the United Kingdom to members of the Merchant Navy for one or more voyages through a war or danger zone during the course of World War I.-Description:...
- Victory MedalVictory Medal (United Kingdom)The Victory Medal is a campaign medal - of which the basic design and ribbon was adopted by Belgium, Brazil, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Siam, Union of South Africa and the USA in accordance with decisions as taken at the Inter-Allied Peace Conference at...
- Defence Medal
- War Medal 1939–1945War Medal 1939–1945The War Medal 1939–1945 was a British decoration awarded to those who had served in the Armed Forces or Merchant Navy full-time for at least 28 days between 3 September 1939 and 2 September 1945. In the Merchant Navy, the 28 days must have been served at sea...
with Oak leaves for Mention in Despatches, January 1 and May 14, 1945. - Silver Polar MedalPolar MedalThe Polar Medal is a medal awarded by the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. It was instituted in 1857 as the Arctic Medal and renamed the Polar Medal in 1904.-History:...
with the Antarctic 1914-16 bar.
Further reading
- Lansing, AlfredAlfred LansingAlfred Lansing was an American journalist and writer, best known for his book Endurance , an account of Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic explorations.-Early career:...
: Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible VoyageEndurance: Shackleton's Incredible VoyageEndurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage is a bestselling book written by Alfred Lansing, and was first published in 1959.The book recounts the failure of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition led by Sir Ernest Shackleton in its attempt to cross the Antarctic continent in 1914 and the subsequent...
Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London 2001 ISBN 0 297 82919 X - McKernan, Victoria: Shackleton's Stowaway Laurel Leaf, London 2006 ISBN 0-440-41984-0
- Tamiko, Rex (ed.): South with Endurance: Shackleton's Antarctic Expedition 1914-17 (photographs of Frank HurleyFrank HurleyJames Francis "Frank" Hurley, OBE was an Australian photographer and adventurer. He participated in a number of expeditions to Antarctica and served as an official photographer with Australian forces during both world wars.His artistic style produced many memorable images but he also used staged...
) BCL Press, New York 2001 ISBN 1 9323 2042 - Worsley, Frank A.Frank WorsleyFrank Arthur Worsley DSO and Bar, OBE, RD was a New Zealand sailor and explorer.After serving in the Pacific, and especially in the New Zealand Post Office's South Pacific service he joined Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of...
: Shackleton's Boat Journey W.W. Norton & Company, London 1998 ISBN 0 7126 6574 9
External links
- Leonard Duncan Albert Hussey - Obituary from HMS Endurance Tracking Project.
- Leonard Duncan Albert hussey - Biography from HMS Endurance Tracking Project.
- Leonard Hussey - Biography from Cool Antarctica